1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to inflatable back and neck supports and, more particularly, to back and neck supports designed to be used with reclining seats.
2. Description of the Related Art
Airplane passengers sit in back supported seats arranged in rows in an aircraft. While these seats are relatively comfortable for short periods, they often become uncomfortable after long periods because of their limited reclining angles and the small amount of space between the rows of seats. When a passenger stretches out in the seat and tries to find a more comfortable position for sleeping, the passenger""s lumbar back region is not supported which may create lower back discomfort. Also, the passenger""s head and neck are not supported, which results in the head rotating forward and laterally when the aircraft flies into small air turbulence. Such head movement, of course, awakens the passenger, or may prevent him or her from sleeping altogether.
Not every passenger wants to sleep on the aircraft, of course. Also, most airlines do not want to change the style of seats or the spacing of rows to better accommodate sleeping passengers.
What is needed is a portable, back and neck support cushion that can be selectively used with standard passenger aircraft seats with limited row spacing that positions and supports passengers in a more comfortable sleeping position when flying.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a back, head, and neck support cushion for passengers sitting in an upright or reclining aircraft seat.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a cushion that is portable and selectively inflated and deflated by passengers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a cushion that connects to an aircraft ventilation system for inflating.
These and other objects of the invention that will become apparent are met by a wedge-shaped, inflatable back and neck support cushion designed specifically for use on a standard coach-style airline passenger seat which, during use, supports the user""s back, head, and neck. The cushion is a five-sided, oblique polyhedron with a rectangular front surface, a rectangular back surface, a rectangular base surface, and two opposite, obtuse triangle side walls. The side walls are parallel and perpendicularly aligned with the adjacent front, back and base surfaces. The widths of the front and back surfaces are slightly smaller than the width of a standard xe2x80x9ccoach-stylexe2x80x9d airline passenger seat. The length of the front surface and the two side walls is approximately equal to the height of a standard xe2x80x9ccoach-stylexe2x80x9d airline passenger seat.
In order to be used on an upright or reclined xe2x80x9ccoach-stylexe2x80x9d airline passenger seat, the cushion must be wedge-shaped with specific interior angles between the front, base, and rear surfaces. In the preferred embodiment, the interior angle between the front surface and the base surface is approximately 48 degrees while the interior angle between the back surface and the base surface is approximately 105 degrees. The interior angle between the back surface and the front surface is approximately 27 degrees.
In the first embodiment, the cushion comprises a lower body support section and an upper head and neck support section. In the first embodiment, the body support section is made of a plurality of transversely aligned air chambers that are selectively filled with air using an inflation means. Air passageways are formed between adjacent air chambers so that air may be evenly distributed throughout. The upper region of the body support section is sufficient in height so that the upper air chamber is approximately 12 inches below the top edge of the seat when the seat is fully reclined. Also in the first embodiment, an optional, transversely aligned opening, called a barrel, is formed in the middle region of the body support section, which prevents the side walls from bulging outward and pressing against an adjacent passenger.
The head and neck support section is attached to the upper region of the body support section and is designed to extend above the lower body support section when inflated or extend under the upper region of the body support section when not inflated. In a second embodiment, the cushion is also wedge-shaped with a lower body support section made of one or two large air chambers that are integrally formed with the upper head and neck section. In both embodiments, the head and neck support section comprises two inflatable, lateral support chambers separated by a centrally aligned, non-inflating webbing material. A conduit is created between the support chambers that evenly distributes air therebetween when the user places his or her head on the webbing material.
During use, the seat is reclined and the cushion is aligned longitudinally over the seat. The body support section is placed over the seat while the upper head and neck section is placed over the upper portion of the back section or folded under the body support section. The seal may be in an upright or reclined position. The cushion is partially inflated using the aircraft ventilation system, by manually breathing into the valve, or by using an optional hand pump. The passenger then sits down in the seat and slowly lays back, forcing the air in the body support section outward and upward so that the air is evenly distributed throughout the entire cushion, conforming in shape and size to the passenger""s body. Simultaneously, the passenger positions his or her head centrally over the webbing material so that the two lateral support chambers move forward and laterally and apply slight pressure against the sides of the neck and head thereby maintaining the head in a forward facing direction. The passenger may selectively add or remove air from the cushion to obtain optimal support and comfort.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.